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Letter: Was drug bust worth the effort, resources?

May 10, 2013

To the Editor:

I found your editorial about the busted crack cocaine drug ring to be both intriguing and naïve. It was intriguing because it touched on how the economics of the illegal drug trade “virtually guarantees” that the bust is not going to have any lasting effect on reducing the availability of the drug in the community.

Why applaud an effort that doesn’t have the lasting impact that it is supposed to have?

Perhaps the Daily Chronicle editorial board could revisit the lessons learned from alcohol prohibition to find the best solution for keeping dangerous substances out of the hands of teenagers is by legalizing and regulating the substances.

While alcohol and tobacco are dangerous yet legal, it is commonly reported in surveys by high school students that it is easier for them to get marijuana, a controlled substance, than it is to get alcohol and tobacco, despite the fact alcohol and tobacco are widely available to adults.

Drug dealers don’t ask for IDs, while places that sell cigarettes and alcohol do ask because there are legal repercussions that motivate them to do so.

Also, couldn’t law enforcement resources be better spent than on an investigation that lasts months? Personally, I’d rather spend that law enforcement money setting up roadblocks to catch drunken drivers every weekend to seriously keep our community safe, rather than spend that money arresting 13 people who will quickly be replaced by 13 new drug dealers.

Dan Linn

Sycamore

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